A European summit with Iran failed to deliver a breakthrough on Friday despite all sides agreeing to continue discussions that could end the conflict.
Germany, France, the UK and the EU urged Iran to revive diplomatic negotiations with Washington. Iran said it would only consider diplomacy once Israel put an end to its bombing campaign.
“Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again and once the aggression is stopped,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the meeting. “I make it crystal clear that Iran's defence capabilities are non-negotiable.”
Speaking shortly after the meeting, US President Donald Trump appeared to dismiss European diplomatic efforts. “We've been speaking to Iran and we'll see what happens,” he said, adding that he believed that talks in Geneva had not helped.
“Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe, Iran wants to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help on this one.”
Talks were convened in Geneva an attempt to contain the Israel-Iran war, with Europeans saying diplomacy must prevail despite the US appearing to weigh its military options.
“We invited the Iranian minister to consider negotiations with all sides, including the United States, without awaiting the cessation of strikes, which we also hope for,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Mr Trump also reiterated criticism against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, saying she was wrong to say in March that Iran was not seeking to build a nuclear weapon. Iran was weeks or months from having a nuclear weapon, according to Mr Trump.
His office on Thursday said that he would make a decision on whether the US will join Israel’s war on Iran “in the next two weeks”, though on Friday, he called that time frame “the maximum”.
In a joint statement, European powers took a firm line with Iran as they “reiterated their long-standing concerns about Iran’s expansion of its nuclear programme, which has no credible civilian purpose”.
“They shared their support for discussions to continue and welcomed continuing US efforts to seek a negotiated solution. They expressed their willingness to meet again in the future,” said the statement.
Mr Araghchi, who travelled out of his country for the first time since the war erupted, also said he was “in favour of continuing discussions with the E3 [Germany, France, the UK] and the European Union”.
A 'perilous moment'
Israel appears to show little appetite to put an end to hostilities. Leaders have threatened to kill Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel's envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, told the UN Security Council his country would not stop its attacks “until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled”.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the war as a “perilous moment”.
“It is hugely important that we don’t see regional escalation of this conflict,” he said.
Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council before meeting his European counterparts in Geneva, Mr Araghchi described Israel's attacks on Iran last week as a “betrayal of diplomacy”.
The attacks caused the cancellation of the sixth round of US-Iran talks in Oman.
“We were supposed to meet the Americans on June 15 to craft a very promising agreement for a peaceful resolution of issues fabricated over our peaceful nuclear programme,” Mr Araghchi said.
Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying it aimed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme does not have military purposes – a claim rejected by western countries and Israel.
Diplomacy first
Europeans argue that they are best placed to negotiate with Tehran, pointing at Mr Trump's withdrawal under his previous mandate of a 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“Military operations can delay a nuclear programme but in no way eliminate it,” Mr Barrot said.
He also warned against intentions laid out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to force regime change in Iran.
“We know well, having seen it at work in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from the outside,” Mr Barrot said.
The meeting was preceded by a lunch attended by the European ministers, without Mr Araghchi, during which they reviewed preparatory discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr Barrot's office said Mr Rubio had told him that the US is ready for direct contact with Iranians “at any time”.
The Europeans appeared to have delivered on Israeli demands to request a complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear programme and its ballistic missile programme, as well as its support of proxy groups throughout the Middle East. Speaking earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris's proposal to Iran would link all three issues in one package.
Mr Macron said he wanted Iran to move towards “zero nuclear enrichment”. This represents an alignment with previous requests made by Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu.
France had previously never deviated from the position agreed in the JCPOA, which capped enrichment activities at 3.67 per cent.
Those close to the Israeli position assess that the capability of enrichment to the lower level of 3.67 per cent in the JCPOA means it is too easy to breach by enriching to a higher level. Israel says Iran could pursue a civilian nuclear programme without conducting enrichment on home soil.
This would represent a repudiation of the long-standing Iranian position that all countries are entitled to enrich uranium under UN safeguards and international treaties.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
More on animal trafficking
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs: 2019 Audi A8
Price From Dh390,000
Engine 3.0L V6 turbo
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
